


Like Ink Within My Skin (I'll Keep You Close Forever)

by Redlance



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27126980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redlance/pseuds/Redlance
Summary: Dani doesn’t have any tattoos. It’s not something she’s ever really thought about before, but after the hundredth time passing the parlour, she pauses in front of the big glass window and spends a minute looking at the display that’s been set up to show off the artists’ talents.
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 32
Kudos: 341





	Like Ink Within My Skin (I'll Keep You Close Forever)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back. Apparently I can't stop thinking about these two and that's kicked my muse into overdrive. So, here, have something I wrote down because I couldn't get the idea out of my head any other way.

* * *

There's a tattoo parlour at the end of the next block, about ten doors down from The Leafling and next to a bakery Dani frequently stops in at to pick up a little something special for Jamie and her sweet tooth. Something which the gardener-turned-florist vehemently denies she has, despite groaning in a way that makes Dani’s skin prickle while she devours whatever it is that's been brought to her. 

Dani doesn’t have any tattoos. It’s not something she’s ever really thought about before, but after the hundredth time passing the parlour, she pauses in front of the big glass window and spends a minute looking at the display that’s been set up to show off the artists’ talents. 

Jamie has one tattoo. The black and grey head of a protea flower sits against her lower back, to the right of her spine and close to her hip. A nasturtium plant winds around it, waves of round leaves and small but numerous flowers that creep over the arch of her hip and down towards her inner thigh.

_ “What does it mean?”  _

_ Dani’s question fills the quiet of her darkened room at Bly Manor. Moonlight leaking in from a gap in the curtains is all that illuminates the space, but it’s enough to cast an ethereal glow over Jamie’s pale skin.  _

_ They lie amongst mussed bedding, the sheet rumpled and bunched and not covering much of anything. Dani lies on her back, head turned towards Jamie, and lets her fingers trace the lines of ink on Jamie’s hip. Next to her, Jamie lies on her side, one leg thrown bonelessly over Dani’s and curls curtaining eyes that blink slowly over at her.  _

_ “They- flowers, they have meanings, right?” Dani asks, when the silence following her first question goes on a bit too long. Jamie’s lazy smile tells her the silence wasn’t actually that long at all.  _

_ “That they do, Poppins.” Reaching out, Jamie takes an easy hold of Dani’s hand and guides it back to the flower at the centre of the piece. “Protea. It’s one of the oldest flowers in the world, goes right back to the dinosaurs. It represents transformation and courage.” She moves Dani’s hand across her skin, slowly over her side and down to rest against the dip of her hip. Dani's fingers twitch and the corner of Jamie's mouth lifts into a smirk. "Nasturtium. Creeps, but it spreads quickly. Often linked to long journeys and battles. Symbolises victory.”  _

_ They lie there like that for a long minute, with Dani’s eyes on the flowers and Jamie’s eyes on Dani. _

_ “The uh,” Jamie starts, pauses, waits until Dani is looking at her again, “flowers are edible, too.”  _

_ A beat of silence passes and then Dani’s blush is outmatched only by her grin, and Jamie’s laugh is loud enough to almost wake the rest of the house. _

The artists’ styles are varied and there are a lot that Dani doesn’t find visually appealing, but there are also a few that she does.

And so, she starts to think.

* * *

“That you, Poppins?”

Jamie’s voice drifts to her from somewhere inside the apartment as she closes the front door behind her. She drops her keys onto the small half table that’s pressed against the opposite wall and shrugs off her coat, hanging it up on one of the hooks they’d installed for just that purpose.

“Were you expecting someone else?” Dani asks, her smile growing into a grin when she enters the main living area and sees Jamie standing at the kitchen island. She's wearing baggy green overalls and a thin t-shirt - her usual indoor work attire - and Dani's heart thumps a little harder behind her ribs at the sight. Jamie has set newspapers down on the worktop and is transplanting a number of seedlings into bigger pots. 

_ “-so that their roots can grow.” Jamie says this as she carefully extracts the small plant that Dani can’t recall the name of because Jamie had been grinning when she said it and Dani had been distracted. Jamie turns it over to show off its roots, all tightly wound and pressed together, and picks up the small set of pruning shears to her right. She points the tip of them at the very bottom of the plant, where the roots look the thickest. “See how they’re all tangled? That’s gonna stop them from drinking up any of the good stuff. And here,” Jamie points again with the sheers, this time outline the circle of packed soil, “where they’re growing in circles? We need to cut through that so it doesn’t strangle itself.”  _

_ Dani makes a small sound of discomfort at that, as though Jamie had just told her a puppy might fall out of a window if you don’t close it, mildly upset by the idea. Jamie turns her head to glance at Dani over her shoulder and smiles, amused, messy curls falling into her eyes.  _

_ The back of Dani’s neck feels hot. _

_ Jamie goes through the rest of the motions, telling Dani all about root balls and trimming, how to decide on the right size for what Jamie calls, “their big boy pots,” and the wonders of coffee filters. _

_ “Why do you call them boys?” Dani asks suddenly a few minutes later, her soft voice curious. _

_ “Because in nature,” Jamie says, turning to look at Dani, to give her an undivided amount of attention in that way she does. “It’s always the blokes that dress up all fancy-like. Flashing their colours and waving their arms about, trying to get attention.” Jamie lifts her own above her head and flaps them around stupidly. It makes Dani laugh, which makes Jamie smile.  _

_ “Makes sense.” Dani glances down at the small seedling in her hands, the one Jamie had asked her to pass over. But when she offers it to Jamie, Jamie just tilts her head with another smile and moves out of the way.  _

_ “Your turn now, Poppins.” She steps behind Dani and presses dirt-covered hands into her hips, guiding Dani to the spot where she’d been standing a second ago.  _

_ “Oh, no, I can’t,” Dani protests, moving with Jamie’s direction. “I’ll mess it up.” She lets out a huff of nervous, uncertain laughter, the movement of her lips caught between a smile and a tremble.  _

_ “Course you won’t.” And that’s the thing about Jamie; she never lets Dani doubt herself. In Jamie’s eyes, there isn’t anything Dani can’t do - except, maybe, sing. They’ve worked on the tea - and that never fails to bolster Dani’s confidence. It’s magic, really. _

_ And it’s really only  _ **_one_ ** _ of the things about Jamie.  _

_ Dani could write a novel. _

_ “Okay,” she acquiesces, still with a slight tremor in her voice, and Jamie moves to stand beside her.  _

_ Dani stares at the plant like it’s an alien she wants desperately to understand, brow furrowing ever so slightly, and she can feel Jamie’s gaze burn against the side of her face.  _

_ She can’t get it out of the pot.  _

_ Its sinewy white roots have slipped through the holes at the bottom of their plastic, store-supplied container and reached across the distance to twine with one another. Under Jamie’s gentle instruction, Dani cuts through the roots to free them and tries again, but the plant still won’t budge and she sets it back down on the newspaper covered island.  _

_ “I don’t want to kill it.” Plants can be so fragile, she thinks. She doesn’t want to end up ripping the thing in half. _

_ “You won’t,” Jamie chuckles, but when Dani doesn’t reach for the plant to try again, she moves to stand behind her. Hooking her chin over Dani’s shoulder, she presses their bodies flush and slips her arms under Dani’s. “I’ll help you.” The words brush the shell of Dani’s ear and she feels herself shiver, knows Jamie feels it too because she pauses to press a kiss and a smirk to the column of Dani’s neck before her hands are picking up the plant. “Eyes on the flower, Poppins.”  _

_ Dani hadn’t even realised she’d closed them.  _

_ With the base of the plant in her left hand, Jamie takes hold of Dani’s right and guides it to the head of the flower.  _

_ “Right, now press your fingers down until you feel- yeah. Okay, now just hold on.” Jamie’s breaths are like licks of fire against Dani’s already very warm neck and her body shifts slightly as she takes her hand back, pressing Dani lightly into the counter. She lets her hand hover idly in mid-air beside the plant and Dani watches as she gently squeezes the sides of the container and then taps the bottom a few times. “Give it a go now,” she murmurs, her lips ghosting over Dani’s shoulder as she starts to pull. _

_ It’s still a little tight, but the plant comes free with relative ease and Jamie steps back, sounds of celebration flying from her mouth as she extends her arms above her head and claps her hands together.  _

_ All noises are cut off when Dani turns, still holding the plant, and takes a step forward. Only it’s really more of a hurried stride and it sends them both tumbling towards the sink, Jamie with her back to it and Dani pressing her into the counter with substantially more pressure than Jamie had a moment ago.  _

_ Dani’s mouth finds Jamie’s with ease and their lips part quickly with both question and permission. One of them moans and Dani blindly sets the plant down, she guesses, in the sink. Dirt-smudged fingertips brush feverishly over Dani’s cheeks, before hands cradle her face, drawing her closer, and there’s a flurry of pushing and pulling before Jamie grabs Dani by the hips again and gives her a playful, albeit firm, shove. It disconnects them from the sink and sends them stumbling towards the bedroom.  _

_ Ten minutes later, specs of dirt are littered across the sheets, and clothes are being pulled off and discarded as they head for the bathroom. Laughing and kissing their way there, and the water runs cold before they leave.  _

“Well, I was supposed to see one of my side pieces today, but I forgot you’d be home and had to reschedule,” Jamie smirks over at her, bringing Dani back to the present, and fair eyebrows rise at the statement. 

“Oh, well, I can leave if you’d rather….” Dani trails off, taking a small step back the way she came as a grin tugs at the corner of her mouth. 

“Nah,” Jamie says with a wrinkle of her nose. "Don't let on but you’re my favourite one anyway.”

At that, Dani allows her mouth to be tugged the remaining few millimeters and her body to be pulled in by Jamie's gravity. 

"Gee, thanks," she drawls and Jamie kisses the air cheekily, throwing Dani a wink before looking down to where her fingers are pressing dirt into a terracotta pot. Dani rounds the island and, out of Jamie's eye line, she pauses to allow herself a moment of indulgence. 

Her eyes drift over the length of Jamie's body, across her shoulders and along bare arms. Up again to the back of her neck, curls lifted away and fastened into a messy pile, and she watches as Jamie absently lifts a dirt-covered hand to scratch just below the base of her skull. She leaves streaks of dirt behind and Dani beams, shuffling forward until she can place the paper bag she’d carried from the bakery onto the opposite end of the island and then slide her arms around Jamie’s middle. 

She presses her lips to the bare skin of Jamie’s shoulder and she can  **hear** the other woman smile at the touch, and the sigh that leaves her is made up of nothing but happiness.

“Hey.” Her delayed greeting is met with a droll and thickly accented, “Alright?” and a thrill runs through Dani at the sound of Jamie’s voice. She squeezes her arms and presses herself as close as she can. Jamie chuckles, sets down the pot she’s holding, and crosses her arms at the wrists to more easily rest hands encrusted with soil over Dani’s forearms. 

“Miss me, did you?” 

Dani closes her eyes against the feeling of calloused fingertips brushing back and forth just below her elbows. 

“No,” Dani scoffs, then immediately follows that up with, “Maybe.”

Jamie’s laughter is throaty and full, and she turns herself around, looping her arms loosely about Dani’s neck. 

“You were only gone ten minutes.” Jamie’s smile is one of the best things Dani has ever had the pleasure of witnessing and it never fails to procure a warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach. 

“Yeah, well.” And that’s all the explanation she gives before leaning in to kiss Jamie. Slow and steady, lasting longer than either of them realise. Dani breaks away to nip at Jamie’s lower lip and she tugs, just once, just slightly, before sinking into another kiss. 

When Dani finally leans back, she opens her eyes to the sight of a flushed and flustered gardener, and feels a rush of smug pride dance through her. 

“Bloody hell, Dani,” Jamie says, breathless, looking up at Dani through her lashes. “Warn a girl before you go knocking her off her feet, yeah?”

Thrilled, Dani bites her lip and just stares at Jamie for a few heartbeats before saying, “So, I had an idea.”

“Oh aye?” Jamie’s question is accompanied by a cautiously raised eyebrow. “Dangerous them, ideas. Got a nasty little habit of turning into plans.” 

“We should get tattoos.” 

It’s very clear from the look on Jamie’s face that this is not something she’d even remotely been expecting Dani to bring up.

"Tattoos?" Jamie parrots back, surprise evident in her voice as well. "What's brought this on?" 

"Well, I keep passing that shop beside the bakery," her eyes flit to the bag on the counter and Jamie turns her head to follow their path. 

Dark eyebrows twitch upwards when she spots it and Dani can feel the way Jamie's arms slacken around her like she's about to pull away. She lifts a hand to lightly grip Jamie's chin and urge her attention away from the prospect of sweet confectionery goodies, and back to the conversation. 

"And today I finally stopped out front to look and they just had some really nice pieces. So, I got to thinking and… I had an idea." She's being purposefully coy, dragging out what suspense there is in order to get Jamie to make that little exasperated noise of impatience that leaves her whenever Dani does exactly this. 

Dani is not left disappointed.

"Well?" Jamie asks. "Are you gonna tell me about it or what?" 

* * *

One Saturday a few weeks later, as the sun begins to redden and disappear behind the buildings, the pair leave their town’s little tattoo shop hand-in-hand. Jamie’s upper left arm is wrapped in clear plastic, while Dani’s left ankle is bound similarly. 

"You really think it was a good idea?" Dani asks, smiling fondly as she makes the mistake of trying to walk past the bakery, only to have Jamie stop her short and lead her inside.

"I bloody hope so, Poppins, 'cause it's permanent now." 

The door jingles as they enter and a young man that reminds them of Owen greets them from behind the counter. 

“Evening, ladies.” Immediately, he notices. “Ooh, freshly inked! Awesome. What did you get?” 

“Couple of moonflowers,” Jamie replies, side-eyeing Dani who’s watching her with a lop-sided grin. 

“Moonflower?” He asks, brow furrowing. “Never heard of them.”

“They’re really rare.” Dani squeezes Jamie’s hand as she speaks and they each order something from the display. 

After that, it’s back to their apartment. Back to their bedroom and bed, where they work themselves back into each other's arms, careful to avoid newly tender skin. 

Dani had decided, thoughtfully picked out the idea from the part of her mind that Jamie often marvels at. Moonflowers, of course, but she wanted Jamie’s to be a closed version of the flower, yet to open; Dani’s beginning. 

And, moved by the sweet sentiment, Jamie had offered her own meaning to Dani’s choice; that of a moonflower in full blossom.

Jamie’s happy ending. 


End file.
